Welcome to GTEC
EDUCATION SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNITY
GTEC is about…
A Model for Regenerative Development and Healthy Community in the Rapidly Changing World of the 21st Century.
VISION: The Green Technology Education Centre is at the forefront of solutions to the social and environmental challenges of our time.
MISSION: GTEC informs, supports and activates communities in responding to the climate crisis.
CURRENT PROGRAMS
- Repairing the Social Contract
Worldwide young people are increasingly distressed about climate change and the uncertain future they face. Download a copy of the report on the study here: MHCCA Repairing the Social Contract.pdf - Climate Response Centre
Canada’s first Climate Response Centre is projected to be located on Vancouver’s Granville Island because of its iconic nature, the Island’s significance to Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and its high level of public access. The Response Centre will be a source of relevant and accessible educational and community development programming, a template for communities throughout BC and a centre of evolving community-based expertise about responding to climate change. This initial centre is designed to serve as the hub of the GTEC Community-based, Collaborative Model mentioned below. - GTEC Community-based, Collaborative Model
The GTEC Community-based, Collaborative Model envisions educating, activating and supporting community-based organizations in two interconnected ways based on a hub and spoke model.
See the Community Based Collaborative model for more information.
GTEC Reader:
The Reader is GTEC’s online, free access arts and culture publication focused on the climate crisis. Now in its 5th year the Reader, the GTEC Reader is published on a quarterly basis. Subscribers receive each issue in their email inbox.
See the current GTEC Reader – Volume 5, Issue 1
Subscribe to the GTEC Reader here >
GTEC Communication & Media
Blowin’ in the Hot Wind: A Lament for Jasper
FireSmoke Canada
Youth Climate Fest by CityHive Vancouver
How Science Fiction Can Inspire Environmentalism and Climate Action
Upcoming CAPE Events
More Climate Fiction Commentary
The GTEC Board of Directors
Arden Henley
Executive Director
Arden Henley is the former Vice President of CityU Canada and a founder of the CityU counselling programs. Previously he was the Director of White Rock Family Therapy Institute, the Director of Clinical Services at Peace Arch Community Services, and the Executive Director of the South Okanagan Children’s Services Society. He is a former Advisor to the Provincial Counsellor Education Task Force and the former Chair of the Board of the BC College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Practitioners. Dr. Henley has a B.A. from McMaster University, an M.A. from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, U.S.A and a Doctorate in Education from Simon Fraser University.
Terry Stone
Director
An enthusiastic professional with more than 20 years experience in Business ownership, Management and Marketing, Terry is passionate about respecting our planet and people. An avid wilderness junkie, he loves the saying “leave only footprints and take only pictures”. He has enjoyed working in fitness & rehabilitation, life safety, green-building, alternative energy, and sustainability. Still searching for the way he can make a large impact, he offers GTEC — critical thinking, problem-solving and strategic planning.
Norman Sam
CHAIR
Formally educated at BCIT and UBC in Management and Finance, Norman’s careers and businesses continue to span the spectrum from corporate wellness to real estate development and technology start-up in the climate tech sector. Complementing these activities, Norman has also volunteered extensively with various non-profit and community service organizations. The common narrative among this diverse range of activities is a passion and desire to make his community and the world a better place.
Todd McGowan
SECRETARY
Todd McGowan is an education leader, outdoor adventurer and sustainability specialist. He lived and worked in Ethiopia helping design and implement English language teacher trainings in the Southern Region of the country. He was the Education Director and part of the design team for a 430-acre sustainable community development in Sechelt, BC that combined lifelong learning (including an international high school), senior living, agriculture, affordable housing, an eco-adventure park, an artisan community and a waterfront village along with vast greenspace and trail networks. The development aspired to be the most sustainable community in North America and support the 7 dimensions of wellness: Social, Emotional, Environmental, Spiritual, Physical, Occupational and Intellectual.
Neal Mutadi
DIRECTOR (ON LEAVE)
Dr. Neal Mutadi is the president of NCEA, an organization dedicated to quality education. He has worked in national & international assignments. He was an instructor at UBC & director of San Diego State & City University leadership programs in Canada. He also served as principal, director of education & deputy superintendent of schools in British Columbia. Neal has a doctorate from Brigham Young University & has published articles in leading American & Canadian educational magazines. He has been actively involved in community groups, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International & the Heart & Stroke Foundation. He has enjoyed the beauty of our planet through world travel. He is committed to collaborating with individuals & groups who are passionate about protecting our plane
Mary Charleson
DIRECTOR
Mary Charleson is a Marketing Speaker, Educator, and Strategist. She is the author of fiveminutemarketing.com Blog and weekly newsletter, featuring marketing tips for the time starved entrepreneur. Mary has two books: “Word of Mouth Mouse & Mobile” (2013) and “Five-Minute Marketing” (2010). She is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the Global Speakers Federation. Mary delivers keynotes and presentations for private companies, associations, and conferences.
Gerry Zipursky
DIRECTOR
Gerry’s extensive career in Community Development and Community Leadership includes many years in the Neighborhood House movement in Vancouver working at Gordon Neighborhood House, Mount Pleasant Neighborhood House, as well as being the founding Executive Director of South Vancouver Neighborhood House. He was the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver for 22 years. Gerry has also been a consultant to a wide range of community organizations and Boards.
Mary Kean
DIRECTOR
Mary Kean, M.A., is a couple and family therapist (ret.), published poet and writer, and editor of The GTEC Reader. She has served the community on the Boards of Peak House (Problematic Substance Use Program) and AMSSA (Assoc.Multicultural Serving Societies) and was Vice President of VEVA (Vancouver Electrical Vehicle Assoc.) She co-founded White Rock Family Therapy Institute and published the Journal of Collaborative Therapies there for which she received the BC Clinical Counselors’ Association Communications Award. She also co-founded the Masters in Counselling program at City University Canada. Mary has been on the Board of GTEC since its inception and is totally dedicated to mitigation of and adaptation to the climate crisis on behalf of future generations that include her grandchildren.
Alisa Kaletsky
DIRECTOR
Alisa is a lawyer. Prior to practicing law she worked in research and spent time working and studying in Israel. She is passionate about animal rights and welfare and shifting our consumption away from animals to reduce the significant impact of animal agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions.
Linda Thyer
VICE-CHAIR
Linda practises family and sport medicine on traditional Coast Salish territories with a focus on youth over the past 20 years. She is a founding member of Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast and is an active member of various medical, environmental and community organizations. She is grateful for the many nourishing and healing gifts of Mother Earth and works toward restoring health and peace for all.
Kim McLeod
TREASURER
Kim McLeod graduated from UBC with a degree in Physical Education. She worked in corporate health and wellness and then transitioned into high tech as a project manager/producer to develop a virtual personal trainer application. Passionate about all areas of healthy living she turned her focus to the built environment and completed a two-year program from Rosenheim Germany in building biology learning about sustainable healthy building design. With her expertise in research, sourcing, planning, and driving project execution, she applies building biology principles to both residential and commercial projects. A strong appreciation for nature, she thrives on trail runs, hikes, and skate skiing with family and friends.
Steve Conway
DIRECTOR
Dr. Steve Conway is the Mental Health and Wellness Director with the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC and is the former Vice President of City University in Canada. Steve has over 30 years experience providing mental health services and leadership in a wide range of settings with diverse populations and clinical issues. Steve holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and an MBA with a focus on leadership and teams. Steve is a Certified Psychological Health and Safety Advisor and has coach training in an ICF accredited program. For the previous 12 years, in addition to being a senior level leader, Steve has been a counselling therapist, leadership coach and consultant, workshop facilitator focusing on workplace mental health and leadership issues and a leadership fit to position assessment specialist.
Sapna Dayal
DIRECTOR
Sapna is a CPA, CA with over 25 years experience. A builder at heart, she’s currently part of the founding group at Brass Token, an independent video game development studio. From 2007 – 2015, she served as Executive Director of imagine1day, a non-profit which provides access to quality education for children throughout Ethiopia. Sapna also dedicated 15 years to a career in public accounting with KPMG LLP, and more recently with Smythe CPA, working across practice areas including assurance, corporate finance and international taxation, in Canada and Brazil. Sapna is overjoyed to add “mama” to her bio, having been blessed with the birth of her daughter in 2020.
Ranbir K. Banwait
DIRECTOR
Ranbir has a PhD in Asian Diaspora studies from Simon Fraser University. Her research focuses on the physical, ethical and social implications of embodiment. Currently, she is exploring the relationship of food to identity: the ways in which we grow it, eat it, and share it with others, shapes & reveals who we are. Ranbir believes in the transformative power of dialogue in education, as we collectively imagine a better future together.
The GTEC Circle of Advisors
Ron Burnett CM OBC RCA is an author, professor and the President Emeritus and Research Director for the new Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Burnett is the author of Cultures of Vision: Images, Media and the Imaginary, published by Indiana University Press in 1995 and How Images Think published by MIT Press. He is the editor of Explorations in Film Theory published in 1991 by Indiana University Press and the author of over 150 published articles and book chapters. Ron is an adjunct professor at York University, and is one of the founders of Canadian Film Studies through a journal that he developed and edited, Ciné-Tracts, from 1977 until 1982. His many honours include the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002 and the Order of France: Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 2010. Ron is a member of the Order of Canada (2013) and the Order of British Columbia (2015).
Ingrid holds a BSW and MSW from UBC and has spent four decades working both in government and community social services, in addition to teaching at multiple local colleges and universities. She is the recently retired CEO of Pacific Community Resources Society and the recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award. Ingrid works part-time as a consultant, and currently Chairs the board of the Dogwood Initiative. Ingrid has served on the boards of the Federation of Social Services of BC, the BC Association of Social Workers (Co-chair), and Vancouver Youth Theatre. She volunteers extensively in the environmental and social justice sectors and is an avid outdoor enthusiast.
During her career at the City of Vancouver, Jacquie had many years of experience working with the public and private sectors in the delivery of policy, projects and services. Her roles included Heritage Planner, Associate Director of Community Planning and Co-Director of Planning. Prior to her retirement, she served as the General Manager of Community Services overseeing a number of departments as well as the City’s social centres, non-market housing, theatres, cemetery and animal control. Jacquie is currently engaged in various community projects including as Past President and board member of the Heather Heritage Society, and as a Director of the Building Community Society focussed on developing a program for the most severely mentally ill and addicted individuals in the City’s Downtown Eastside.
Loreen (Lori) Williams is a retired lawyer and mediator. She has been an active volunteer and co-chair of several Working Groups and Advisory committees relating to the environment in the District of West Vancouver and won a District Environmental Award for her work. Lori is a member of the West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society, responsible for creek monitoring and salmon counting. She has served on the Sierra Legal Defense Fund (now known as Ecojustice Canada) as a board member off and on since 1998. Lori is passionate about having the right to a healthy environment enshrined in the Canadian Constitution.
Diane Meschino is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, artist and associate professor, University of Toronto. She has an academic focus on healthcare leadership and system transformation. With expertise in discourses of gender, equity, rights, justice, and power, she is an educator on historical and contemporary treatment of women in society and healthcare. Diane was an early women’s health pioneer, founding multidisciplinary trauma-informed academic pain and reproductive mental health programs. Training and consulting to international health professionals, she co-created care systems for under-served populations. Diane serves on both The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons’ Planetary Health and International Leadership Education committees, is a member of the World Health Leadership Network and is a leadership advisor to the Canadian Coalition of Green Healthcare. Diane has reduced her clinical role to apply creative collaborative leadership to enhancing healthcare system resilience and response to climate change.
Mark Selman, PhD, was the founding director of the first EMBA in North America designed to serve the interests of Indigenous leaders and aspiring leaders. After working with leadership in many Indigenous communities in BC, Mark saw the need for a program that helped leaders who often had extensive knowledge and experience get the business and management education that they needed to deal with the complex challenges they faced. In the course of doing this work, Mark was exposed to the wisdom of Indigenous scholars and elders, knowledge which has changed his understanding of the relationship between humans and the world around us.